A guide to a night out in Soi 6

A guide to a night out in Soi 6

For those of you who are new to Pattaya or for those that have never been Soi 6 is arguably one of Pattaya’s best nightlife spots whether you are here alone or part of a group of friends the popular street is an awesome place to party.

Currently at the time of writing this there are roughly 70 open bars with several more in the process of either being renovated or about to be opened with on average 10-20 hostesses per bar, this amounts to roughly 1400 hostesses all in one street.

Soi (street) 6 runs between Pattaya Beach Road and Second road a short way up from Pattaya Klang. The fact that the street is also on all major baht bus (public transport) routes makes it even more of a popular choice for a night out as well. If you get on any baht bus from Second Road providing it is going past Soi 6 it should only cost 10 baht per person to get there. If you get a motorbike taxi from near Walking Street the price at the moment is between 60-100 baht depending on the driver.

*Our top tip say to the driver “Tao-rai” which is Thai for how much, usually this will get you a slightly cheaper price.*

Ok so as we mentioned the street is on all the baht bus routes and due to the one way traffic system in Pattaya it means the probably about 90% of you will enter the street from the Second Road end and for the purpose of this article everything will be relative to someone who has done so.

Right so you have found Soi 6, now the fun begins the first thing you will probably notice besides the large number of “hostesses” which will be outside of pretty much every bar normally attempting to drag you into their bar as you walk passed is there are two different types of bar. There are open fronted bars and closed fronted bars resembling more the likes of Agogo’s. Now in recent years more and more of the bars have removed the fronts to make them open and to be honest the actual reason to why they have done this were not too sure on. Perhaps it’s to reduce AC costs which are one of the bars biggest outlays while it might simply be they want to make it easier for people walking past to see what the bar and the girls working look like and how busy it is etc.

The drink prices don’t really vary if the bar is open fronted or closed so for those of you that like to sit in the AC perhaps the closed fronted bars are more suited for you or keep a look out for bars which have air curtains which keep the cool air in.

With so much choice all in one street many people like to bar hop and try multiple bars while others like to set up camp in one for the night, while trying out bars for yourself is no doubt the best way to see what the street has to offer a few things to bear in mind are.

Is the bar Thai run or Western run? As a general rule the bars which Falang (anyone not Asian) run are in my opinion a better bar to check out for those traveling or partying alone. The managers are normally more than happy to sit and have a beer with you and introduce you to others in the bar making for a more sociable and enjoyable night out than just drinking alone or with a hostess.

One thing to watch out for if you buy a manager a drink is in some bars they charge lady drink prices or (Manager Price) when you buy the man or women in charge a drink. This is quite common practice in Pattaya as a whole and if you’re on a budget or keeping a tight watch on what you’re spending probably best to ask first if there’s an extra charge for buying a manager a drink.

This is also important to remember when buying any of the hostesses a drink. All of the bars will charge you a “lady drink” price if you buy the girls a drink now the price of a lady drink varies from bar to bar but as a general rule at the moment prices tend to be around the 120-150 baht mark.

Now you need to be aware if you ring the bell in a bar it means you want to buy everyone in the bar a drink unless otherwise stated, this means that you will be paying lady drink prices not standard prices for all the girls working, including the mama-san and cashiers. Something to keep in mind after you have had a few drinks, bills can quickly mount up when ringing the bell so if you not one of the two week millionaire crew (holidaymakers) where money is no object best to avoid multiple bell rings or horn pulls.

Some bars have air horn’s which normally mean you only buy a drink for all the girls working and not customers (its best to clarify what the bars rules are on each before pressing or pulling.) Some bars also have table buzzers which if you press you buy drinks for everyone sitting at your table, these are good to get the party going and a lot cheaper than buying the entire bar a drink, however not all bars have this option but if they do it will be clearly stated.

For those looking to get value when spending some time with a hostess if you offer to buy them a drink try and steer them away from the shots or tequila’s which are gone in one leaving them looking for another drink, offer to buy them a short or a beer something that takes a little while to drink so you at least get a little time per lady drink. Also many of these girls work like pack animals trying to get you to buy drinks for their friends as well, if this is not for you politely decline and that should be the end of it.

If you find a hostess that you are particularly fond of you can in most cases take them out of the bar to go party with you or be a tour guide, show you different parts of the city etc, however if you want to do this you will have to compensate the bar for taking away one of their employees for the day, now to do this amounts vary depending on the bar, the majority of Soi 6 bars will allow you to do this and it’s known as a “barfine.”

*Top tip- there are no barfine’s when a bar is closing for the evening.*

Like we have already mentioned Soi 6 has been changing over recent years from the days the street was just made up of bars, there’s now several restaurants and guesthouses which have set up shop to cater for the increased number of people partying in the street. The action normally kicks off at 1pm some bars open later however. It’s not unheard of for holiday makers to check into one of the Soi 6 guesthouses and never leave the street for their entire vacation, yes that’s how good and well addictive Soi 6 can be.

There is now also a Darts Bar which has opened in the street providing a completely different experience and atmosphere to all the other bars. For those that like to play pool when you drink some not all of the bars have pool tables which might play an important part in choosing where you drink.

Now entertainment is an important part of any night out and obviously a big part of the entertainment is provided by the hostesses in each bar, however many of the bars allow the customers to pick the music a nice touch sometimes and enough to drive you out of a bar in some cases if the closest person to the keyboard likes heavy metal. Also a great many of the bars again normally westerner run ones do different theme nights or run special games and promotions, were not going to mention any as we don’t want to be bias to anyone particular bar but a quick look at any of the bars on Lovepattayathailand.com will have an up to date link to their social media pages which should let you know what they have going on. For those that like to play the traditional bar games with the girls connect 4, Jenga etc again many of the bars will have the games and this in turn might again influence which bars you drink in, however playing against these girls at any of the games normally leads to a ladydrink as they are pros and quite happy to play for a drink against most customers.

Food obviously is an important part of any night out whether it be at the beginning, middle or end of the night. The majority of the bars offer some sort of food some do their own menu while others have menus for restaurants around town which will deliver food to the bar. There is also a McDonald’s at either end of the street as a last resort at the end of the night if you find yourself craving a burger.

Thailand is well known for having a large abundance of “ladyboy’s” there are whole areas of Pattaya which are set up specifically to cater for people who want to watch shows or spend time drinking with them. Soi 6 is predominantly a ladyboy free zone with the exception of a couple of bars which employee only ladyboy’s these bars again not mentioning any names tend to be on the left hand side of the street. However some of the Thai run bars do also employee ladyboy’s which again might influence where you chose to drink depending on your particular preference. For those who wish you experience the whole ladyboy experience the street next to Soi 6 –Soi6/1 is one such nightlife area set up to cater for those who wish to do so and there are several walkways and side roads leading from Soi 6 to Soi 6/1 as well as two main entrances at either end of the street.

Soi 6 also hosts one giant party once a year where all the bars close, they close of the street and have a giant street party, info on this can be found on Lovepattayathailand.com. For those who want the whole Soi 6 experience check when the party is happening and book your holiday accordingly.

So we have covered a few things to look out for as well as a few factors which might influence which of the 70 some odd bars you might choose to hit on a night out, the best way however is to get down there and try a few for yourself if you keep what we have spoken about in mind you’re sure to have a great time. As always have a safe and enjoyable time no matter what you get up to whilst here in Pattaya.

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